Greetings all,
As I am sure, many of you are unaware of a debate that has been going on for a few weeks now on the Yahoo Groups. It involves issues of mirror quality between Zambuto and Torus and has spilled into an Obsession vs. Starmaster debate. As expected, these debates can become quite heated, although I think this one one has actually remained relatively calm.
First let me say that I recently purchased a 14.5" Starmaster that is suppose to ship today. I actually had decided not to get a Starmaster because of the premium price, but upon further research changed my mind.
Some things in the debate have bothered me very much. I tried posting something to the Obsession group, but it was apparently censured. My questions are the following:
1)If someone makes a quality product, why would they create a website that denigrates the products of others instead of simply emphasizing the qualities of their own product?
When shopping for a telescope I was taken aback by how much Obsession slammed, in a not so veiled way, other manufacturers. It actually was a factor in my deciding not to purchase an Obsession.
2) Ed Ting did a review of the 20" Obsession. He noted that it did not hold collimation during use. In fact, I think he stated that you would become a "collimation expert" by the end of the night. Obsession has since used the review on their website, BUT, they have editted out the section on collimation. Can anyone tell me why a manufacturer would post such a review and edit out only certain information? Hmmmmm. What does this tell us about the company and its owner?
Personally, I think there are many fine choices for individuals looking for medium to large dobsonians - including Obsession. We all benefit from this. But, as with most things in life, there are qualitative differences in the way in which certain companies, and people, conduct themeselves. While this is, as they say, life, it saddens me when individuals feel the need slam others to make themselves feel better.
In this case I think it is clear that there is a certain desperation and envy that provides the impetus for such conduct. It is the American way. When someone is very successful we attack them, not because they warrant such an assault, but because their success brings "our" own inadequacies into stark relief. That is to say, it is more about "us" then them.
Take care,
john
As I am sure, many of you are unaware of a debate that has been going on for a few weeks now on the Yahoo Groups. It involves issues of mirror quality between Zambuto and Torus and has spilled into an Obsession vs. Starmaster debate. As expected, these debates can become quite heated, although I think this one one has actually remained relatively calm.
First let me say that I recently purchased a 14.5" Starmaster that is suppose to ship today. I actually had decided not to get a Starmaster because of the premium price, but upon further research changed my mind.
Some things in the debate have bothered me very much. I tried posting something to the Obsession group, but it was apparently censured. My questions are the following:
1)If someone makes a quality product, why would they create a website that denigrates the products of others instead of simply emphasizing the qualities of their own product?
When shopping for a telescope I was taken aback by how much Obsession slammed, in a not so veiled way, other manufacturers. It actually was a factor in my deciding not to purchase an Obsession.
2) Ed Ting did a review of the 20" Obsession. He noted that it did not hold collimation during use. In fact, I think he stated that you would become a "collimation expert" by the end of the night. Obsession has since used the review on their website, BUT, they have editted out the section on collimation. Can anyone tell me why a manufacturer would post such a review and edit out only certain information? Hmmmmm. What does this tell us about the company and its owner?
Personally, I think there are many fine choices for individuals looking for medium to large dobsonians - including Obsession. We all benefit from this. But, as with most things in life, there are qualitative differences in the way in which certain companies, and people, conduct themeselves. While this is, as they say, life, it saddens me when individuals feel the need slam others to make themselves feel better.
In this case I think it is clear that there is a certain desperation and envy that provides the impetus for such conduct. It is the American way. When someone is very successful we attack them, not because they warrant such an assault, but because their success brings "our" own inadequacies into stark relief. That is to say, it is more about "us" then them.
Take care,
john